11 █ On Good Friday, we celebrate the death of Jesus, who died on the cross out of love for us. Like Ash Wednesday, it is a day of fasting. The Mass is replaced by the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord, during which the faithful are invited to venerate the cross of Christ after a long prayer of requests. Parishes pray the Stations of the Cross to relive the events of Jesus’ Passion. █ Holy Saturday is, for the Church, a day of silence and contemplation. The Easter Vigil, the evening of Holy Saturday, marks the end of Lent and the beginning of the Easter celebrations. At dusk, people may gather around a “blazing fire” prepared in a suitable place outside of their church. The new Paschal candle is lit and will shine at all the baptisms and burials of the coming year to evoke the light of the Resurrection. This candle is the symbol of the presence of Christ: Alleluia! Jesus is alive; he has conquered death! The bells can start to chime the joy of the Church in celebration. Easter is not an end; it is a beginning! The Paschal light does not go out; it shines during the entire octave of Easter, when the priest will remain dressed in white at Mass. Ascension and then Pentecost will come next: and by the gift of his Spirit, Christ will fulfill the promise made at the end of the Gospel of Matthew: “I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
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